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About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2016)
October 7, 2016 CapitalPress.com 7 Tucking in grass seed ields for the winter By BRENNA WIEGAND For the Capital Press Grass seed growers, like most farmers, know a successful crop has a lot to do with what happens directly after harvest. Several things are taken into consideration when putting a grass seed ield to bed for the winter. First, there’s cleaning up the post-harvest mess, said David McCready, senior agronomist at Wilco in Harrisburg, Ore. “Grass seed straw and resi- due is removed by baling and/or lailing and redistributed to even things out,” McCready said. “If irrigation’s available, especially on dry, low water-holding soils, people often irrigate post-har- vest, either to keep plants alive or for overall crop health.” A soil-residual herbicide is usually applied to prevent or eliminate germinated seedlings. “The biggest single thing are volunteers from the crop we just harvested,” he said. “The most eficient harvest operations can easily have 200-500 pounds of seed that didn’t get in the tank.” Slugs and voles are perennial pests but grass seed crops rarely have problems with insects. Growers will apply fall fer- tilizers as needed, based on soil testing and experience or use a balanced fertilizer. From the advent of GPS — global posi- tioning systems — and a desire to manage ield inconsistencies and use sustainable practices, the industry developed new variable-rate technology that creates application maps for in- dividual nutrients. With variable rate, soil only gets what it needs. Lime is commonly applied to balance pH and calcium lev- els as well. “Our typical tall fescue farm- er has to put a 1-ton application of top dress lime about the third year on a ive-harvest rotation,” McCready said. Potash is necessary to offset its removal with the straw. In quoting an Oregon State Exten- sion Service article, McCready said a ton of tall fescue straw contains about 30 pounds of po- tassium. “It takes 50 pounds of muri- ate of potash to replace what is removed,” McCready said, add- ing that straw yields run 2.5 to 4 tons per acre. “We used to hardly remove any potash, especially when we burned ields, and now the ma- jority of it seems to be baled,” McCready said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much is re- moved in the straw. We’ve just kind of mined the soil and sud- denly we wake up to the stark reality that where we used to have good soil tests (and) now we don’t.” Management of weeds, wa- ter, pests and soil are a perenni- al concern to most farmers, and each crop and location requires a different regime. Courtesy Wilco Senior agronomist David McCready and Scot Solberg of Wilco consult at a lime application. Managing soil fertility is one of many post-harvest tasks. Winterize and Repair your equipment now so it’s ready to work for you next season! ccb# 185365 TRAVELER SERVICE* PANEL INSPECTIONS* Annual service and inspection • Small • Medium • Large • Booster $260* $340* $380* $440* Service Includes the following: • Loose connections • Noisy starters • Rusty components • Water damage • Check for signs of heat build-up $250* VFD SERVICE* • Inspection • Change filters $200* WE SPECIALIZE IN BU LK BAG S! BAGS: • Seed Bags • Fertilizer Bags • Feed Bags • Potato Bags • Printed Bags • Plain Bags • Bulk Bags • Totes • Woven Polypropylene • Bopp • Polyethylene • Pocket Bags • Roll Stock & More! HAY PRESS SUPPORT: • Hay Sleeves • Strap • Totes • Printed or Plain • Stretch Film (ALL GAUGES) WAREHOUSE PACKAGING: • Stretch Film • Pallet Sheets • Pallet Covers 10% OFF PARTS & LABOR LOCATIONS: Albany, Oregon (MAIN OFFICE) Ellensburg, Washington CONTACT INFORMATION: Phone: 855-928-3856 Fax: 541-497-6262 • Irrigation Pipe Repair • Pump Service • Big Gun Maintenance PUMP SERVICE* 10% OFF Parts and Labor Great time to have bearings, packing, and seals checked out! info@westernpackaging.com ....................................................... CUSTOMER SERVICE IS OUR TOP PRIORITY! Special valid for work scheduled by January 31, 2017. *Additional fees may apply for parts and repairs. www.ErnstIrrigation.com • (503) 633-1111 www.westernpackaging.com WSG16 -1/#5 20179 Main St., St. Paul, OR 97137 • Open Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; Sat 8am-2pm
